Radiotherapy requires that the patient remain very still and not move for the duration of the treatment. Known techniques for restraining the patient either place the patient onto a cushion or into a structure that contains a cushion (a “cradle”). One of the main problems with these two approaches is that the patient can move laterally. The main advantage of the disclosed invention is that the system applies lateral force on the patient to reduce movement during treatment. Furthermore, the paddles used to apply the lateral pressure may be placed in customized locations and positions for each patient.
Another problem with known cradle apparatuses for restraining patients is that they generally require a base plate to be placed onto the treatment couch to accommodate all the cradle accessories. Since radiation therapy requires that treatment beams enter the patient from multiple entry angles, the extra material below the patient attenuates the beam in unpredictable ways. An additional advantage of the disclosed invention is that the system does not require a base plate.